EEOC sues Annapolis medical practice

The complaint, filed in Baltimore's U.S. District Court on Thursday, alleges that a receptionist disclosed she was pregnant on her second day on the job at Annapolis Internal Medicine in 2009 when she was given a flu shot.

The receptionist asked the clinical supervisor who was giving her the shot not to tell anyone, but she did. The receptionist said she was treated differently and criticized more than other employees.

The receptionist said she was given a written counseling report about "the value of being honest" and was criticized for not telling her superiors about her pregnancy, according to the lawsuit.

The receptionist was later put on a two-week probation for a mistake and said a supervisor began to "verbally abuse and physically intimidate her" during a meeting. After complaining, the receptionist said she was disciplined for being insubordinate, according to the lawsuit.

She was terminated shortly after.

Jonathan P. Kagan, an attorney representing Annapolis Internal Medicine, said the practice denies all of the allegations in the lawsuit and looks forward to its day in court.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified back pay and punitive damages for the receptionist as well as an order for Annapolis Internal Medicine to adopt programs and policies "that eradicate the effects of its past and present unlawful employment practices."

Annapolis Internal Medicine was founded in 1974 and has a dozen doctors on staff.